November 2004

1

Cyprus: Dervis Eroglu declares his failure to form a new government in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat is handed the task of forming a new government on November 8 but returns the mandate to President Rauf Denktas on November 22.India: Ved Marwah is sworn in as governor of Bihar and Thanjavelu Rajeshwar as governor of Rajasthan.India: Vilasrao Deshmukh is sworn in as chief minister of Maharashtra.United Arab Emirates: In a cabinet reshuffle, President Sheikh Zaid ibn Sultan Al Nahayan appoints his son Sheikh Saif ibn Zaid Al Nahayan as interior minister, replacing Lt.Gen. Muhammad Said al-Badi. The new cabinet is sworn in on November 21.

2

Somogyi

American Samoa: In gubernatorial elections, incumbent Togiola Tulafono wins 48.4% of the vote, Afoa Moega Lutu 39.4%, and Teo Fuavai 12.2%. A runoff is held November 16 and Tulafono defeats Lutu with 55.7% against 44.3%.Hungary: Ferenc Somogyi is sworn in as foreign minister.India: Buta Singh is appointed governor of Bihar and Pratibha Patil governor of Rajasthan. Singh takes office on November 5 and Patil on November 8.Palau: In presidential elections, incumbent Tommy Remengesau wins 66.5% of the vote and Polycarp Basilius 33.5%. Elias Camsek Chin is elected vice president with 71.1%, defeating incumbent Sandra Pierantozzi with 28.9%. Turnout is about 75%.Puerto Rico: Gubernatorial elections are won by Aníbal Acevedo Vilá with 48.4% of the vote, ahead of former governor Pedro Rosselló with 48.2% and Rubén Berríos with 2.7%. Turnout is 80.9%.Russia: President Vladimir Putin appoints Aleksandr Glazkov as new acting governor of Astrakhan oblast.Senegal: Ousmane Ngom is named as interior minister.

K. Al Nahayan

United Arab Emirates: President Sheikh Zaid ibn Sultan Al Nahayan dies. The vice president and prime minister, Sheikh Maktum ibn Rashid Al Maktum, becomes acting president. Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zaid Al Nahayan succeeds his father as ruler of Abu Dhabi. On November 3 the Federal Council elects Sheikh Khalifa as new president.United States: In presidential elections, incumbent George W. Bush (Republican) wins 50.7% of the vote (carrying 31 states with 286 electoral votes), John Kerry (Democrat) 48.3% (19 states and the District of Columbia, totalling 252 electoral votes), Ralph Nader (independent) 0.4%, and Michael Badnarik (Libertarian) 0.3%. Elections to the House of Representatives and to 34 of 100 seats in the Senate also result in the Republicans keeping control; in the House they will have 232 of 435 seats, the Democrats 202, with 1 independent, while the Senate will be composed of 55 Republicans, 44 Democrats, and 1 independent. Turnout is 60.7%. Results of gubernatorial elections:

3

India: Surjit Singh Barnala is sworn in as governor of Tamil Nadu and A.R. Kidwai as governor of Punjab.

Jansa

Slovenia: President Janez Drnovsek appoints Janez Jansa as prime minister-designate. He is elected in parliament on November 9. On November 23 he announces his government including Dimitrij Rupel as foreign minister, Karl Erjavec as defense minister, Andrej Bajuk as finance minister, and Dragutin Mate as interior minister.Somalia: President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed names Ali Muhammad Ghedi as prime minister.

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5

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Prime Minister Adnan Terzic offers his resignation, but it is rejected by the Presidency on November 10.Myanmar: Interior Minister Col. Tin Hlaing is "permitted to retire" and is replaced by Maj.Gen. Maung Oo.

6

Czech Republic: In the first round of elections to 27 of 81 seats in the Senate, held November 5-6, only one senator is elected, while in the other 26 districts the two most successful candidates go to a second round on November 12-13. The party vote in the first round is: Civic Democratic Party (ODS) 33.3%, Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) 17.4%, Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) 13.5%, Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) 12.5%. Turnout is 29%. The second round (turnout 18.4%) leads to the following distribution of seats: ODS 18 (1 from the first round), KDU-CSL 3, KSCM 1, Political Movement Independents 1, Association of Independents 1, Freedom Union-Democratic Union/Civic Democratic Alliance 1, Green Party 1, European Democrats 1.Lebanon: Parliament passes a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Omar Karami's government (59-24 with 23 abstentions).

8

Ecuador: Interior Minister Raúl Baca resigns. He is replaced by Jaime Damerval, who takes office on November 9.India: Gen. (ret.) S.F. Rodrigues is appointed governor of Punjab. He is sworn in on November 16.Indonesia: Former governor of Jawa Timur (1983-88) Wahono dies.

Christian

Pitcairn Island: The Island Council chooses Brenda Christian as mayor to fill the post until a formal election is held in December.

9

Botswana: A new cabinet is announced including Moeng Pheto as home affairs minister.

10

Brazil: Ottomar de Sousa Pinto is installed as governor of Roraima.Burundi: President Domitien Ndayizeye sacks his vice president, Alphonse Marie Kadege. On November 11 Frédéric Ngenzebuhoro is nominated by Ndayizeye as new vice president and is endorsed by parliament.Estonia: Defense Minister Margus Hanson resigns. On November 22 Jaak Jõerüüt takes office as new defense minister.Oman: Former British consul-general (1958-60) William Neve Monteith dies.

Hermassi

Tunisia: In a cabinet reshuffle, Abdelbaki Hermassi is named foreign minister, Hédi M'henni defense minister, and Rafik Belhaj Kacem to replace M'henni as interior minister. The new ministers are installed on November 11.United States: President George W. Bush nominates Alberto Gonzales to replace John Ashcroft as attorney general. On November 16 Condoleezza Rice is named to succeed Colin Powell as secretary of state. On November 17 Margaret Spellings is named to become education secretary, and on November 29 Carlos Gutierrez to be commerce secretary.

16

India: Rameshwar Thakur is appointed governor of Orissa. He is sworn in on November 17.Namibia: In presidential elections held November 15-16, Hifikepunye Pohamba of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) wins 76.4% of the vote, followed by Ben Ulenga of the Congress of Democrats (CoD) with 7.3% and Katuutire Kaura of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) with 5.1%. Turnout is 85%. Pohamba is to take office March 21, 2005. In parliamentary elections, SWAPO wins 75.1% of the vote (55 of 72 seats) and the CoD 7.2% (5). Turnout is 84.4%.Niger: In the first round of presidential elections, incumbent Mamadou Tandja wins 40.7% of the votes followed by former prime minister Mahamadou Issoufou with 24.6%, former president Mahamane Ousmane with 17.4%, former prime minister Amadou Cheiffou with 6.4%, former foreign minister Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye with 6.1%, and former prime minister Hamid Algabid with 4.9%. Turnout is 48.3%. A second round between Tandja and Issoufou will be held on December 4.Switzerland: Former president of the government of Zürich (1973-74, 1979-80, 1985-86, 1990-91) Hans Künzi dies.United States: The Senate confirms Francis J. Harvey as Army secretary. He is sworn in on November 19.United States: Richard J. Codey becomes acting governor of New Jersey.

17

Russia: Skhatby Vorokov becomes acting prime minister of Adygeya.

18

European Union: The European Parliament approves (449-149 with 82 abstentions) the new Commission headed by José Manuel Durão Barroso, which takes office on November 22.Italy: Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini is appointed foreign minister, replacing Franco Frattini, who joins the new European Commission.

Moleleki

Lesotho: King Letsie III reshuffles his cabinet, naming Monyane Moleleki foreign minister and Lesao Lehohla home affairs minister. The new cabinet is sworn in on November 19.Vanuatu: Former acting president (1994), foreign minister (1995-96), and president (2004) Alfred Maseng dies.

19

Turks and Caicos Islands: Richard Tauwhare is designated as governor, to take office in June/July 2005.

20

Rodríguez

Venezuela: In a cabinet reshuffle, Alí Rodríguez Araque is named foreign minister.

21

Ukraine: In the second round of presidential elections, Viktor Yanukovych wins 49.5% of the vote and Viktor Yushchenko 46.6%. The parliament on November 27 passes a resolution declaring the poll invalid.

22

Canada: In Alberta elections, Premier Ralph Klein's Conservative Party wins 47% of the vote (61 of 83 seats), the Liberal Party 29% (17), the New Democrats 10% (4), and the Alberta Alliance 9% (1).

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Kenya: Former foreign minister (1983-87) Elijah Mwangale dies.Latvia: President Vaira Vike-Freiberga nominates Aigars Kalvitis as prime minister. A cabinet is named on November 29 including Einars Repse as new defense minister.

25

India: S.K. Singh is appointed governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

26

Georgia: In Abkhazia, the parliament votes to recognize Sergey Bagapsh as the winner of the October presidential election. He plans to hold an inauguration ceremony on December 6, although President Vladislav Ardzinba has called new elections.Switzerland: Former president (1966) Hans Schaffner dies.

27

India: S.M. Krishna is appointed governor of Maharashtra.

28

Romania: In presidential elections, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) wins 40.9% of the vote, Traian Basescu of the Democratic Party (PD) 33.9%, Corneliu Vadim Tudor of the Greater Romania Party (PRM) 12.6%, and Béla Markó of the Hungarian Democratic Union (UDMR) 5.1%. A runoff will be held December 12. In parliamentary elections, the PSD wins 36.6% of the vote (132 of 332 seats) for the lower house and 37.1% (57 of 137 seats) for the Senate, while the alliance of the National Liberal Party and the PD wins 31.3% (112) and 31.8% (49) respectively, the PRM 12.9% (48) and 13.6% (21), and the UDMR 6.2% (22) and 6.2% (10).Russia: In gubernatorial elections in Kurgan oblast, incumbent Oleg Bogomolov wins 35.1% of the vote, Yevgeny Sobakin (Union of Right Forces) 23.8%, Pyotr Nazarov 23.6%, Aleksandr Yemelin 3.4%, Vladimir Spivak 1.4%, and 10.3% vote against all candidates. Turnout is 53.3%. A runoff is to be held on December 5.

29

Fiji: Vice President Ratu Jope Seniloli resigns, effective from November 26.France: Economy and Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy resigns and Hervé Gaymard is named to replace him.Lithuania: Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas submits his list of proposed cabinet members to the president, including Gediminas Kirkilas as new defense minister and Viktoras Muntianas as new interior minister.